Adeto Akor Aliu, a health care worker at the Primary Healthcare Center (PHC), Junction Road, Kaduna state, has praised the Group Antenatal Care (G-ANC) Training organized by Kaduna State for health workers in the state, which has equipped them with skills to provide quality G-ANC services.
Aliu said that “the G-ANC, undeniably, has helped pregnant women form a bond, get involved in their own health and share experiences through peer learning and participatory facilitated approach of G-ANC which has also improved the relationship between health care workers and their clients with improved retention in care.
“Now, they know when their weight is normal and when their BP is okay. We know how to counsel them to look out for danger signs, what they need to do and how to motivate them to come to the health facility for further examination,” Adeto added.
She further highlighted that through the G-ANC training, the healthcare workers are now able to better counsel pregnant women on key aspects of their health such as nutrition, hygiene, birth preparedness, family planning and care for their babies.
Adeto who started working at the facility in 2017 noted that the ANC unit was barely functional, with very low uptake of services until the introduction of the G-ANC program by Kaduna State and CIHP through TAConnect.
Praying that the state’s healthcare system will continue to improve, she urged the state government to extend the G-ANC program to other parts of the state, where there are persistent low visits of pregnant women to PHC facilities.
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“Through the G-ANC training, the healthcare workers are now able to better teach the pregnant women what to do, some of which includes family planning, proper medication, encouraging them and their husbands, and how to care for their babies.”
